Leather Moisture Applications

Leather production involves complex multi-step processes and sub-processes. Many of these contain production points at which temperature, moisture, and associated pH levels, must be precisely controlled. Production points that require such control may be found in Soaking, Hair Removal, Liming, Deliming, Pickling, Depickling, Tanning, Basification, Sammying, Setting, Retanning, Neutralization, Drying, and Conditioning. Failure to adequately control temperature, moisture, and associated factors may result in product and raw material waste, re-work, decreased productivity, and increased production costs. MoistTech, with 40 years of knowledge and the assistance of industry partners, has developed the IR-3000 moisture sensor. The IR-3000 is ideally suited to measure moisture levels in the harsh environments found in leather production. Utilizing the IR-3000 to optimize process control improves your product quality, increases productivity, and decreases production costs.

Installation

There are many key processes in leather production where you will find the leather moisture sensor to be essential. Usage opportunities increase when you consider the capability of the IR-3000 to measure water and solvent based coating thickness, measure resin content, and monitor temperature. The measurement of coating thickness is especially critical in the leather finishing processes. Finishing full grain leathers may involve the application of polymer or wax finishes. Corrected grain leather finishing may involve procedures such as the application of basecoats, pigment coats, and topcoats. For installation parameters specific to your applications, please contact our headquarters. MoistTech is highly experienced regarding the requirements in leather production. Our sensor calibrations, measurement wavelengths, algorithms, and sensor optical requirements are pre-set at the factory. Once installed, you can continuously monitor the process and control moisture content in real time.

Benefits of Leather Moisture Analysis and Control

Increased Productivity

Improved Product Quality

Minimization of Waste and Re-Work

Lower Energy Costs

Reduced Environmental Impact

Continuous Monitoring with 100% Product Inspection

Process Optimization

The MoistTech IR-3000’s non-drift optical design permits non-contact continuous process monitoring and control so that process variation can be detected and adjusted in real time. Typical moisture accuracy is about ± 0.05%, with coating accuracy varying from 0.1 to 0.01 micron, depending on the coating type. Typical analog range is 0-10% moisture. The outputs can be adjusted to optimize PLC or recording requirements.